Former Speaker urges ‘quick’ intervention in Tombura clashes
Warning: Undefined array key 0 in /home2/cityrevi/public_html/wp-content/themes/_city/single.php on line 65
JUBA – Former Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly Anthony Lino Makana has called on the national government to urgently intervene and save conflict-ridden Tombura County.
Makana made the remark in a statement shared with the media Thursday as tensions in Tombura County spin out of control with several killed and hundreds displaced.
“I am deeply concerned with the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Tombura County, Western Equatoria. What is happening is quite appalling, to say the least,” the statement partly reads.
“Lives have been lost, thousands of people displaced and properties destroyed. This has never happened before, even during the entire period of the 21-year civil war,” it continues.
Makana who served as the Speaker of Parliament from 2016 to 2019 told City Review in a follow-up interview that it is high time the government intervenes before it is too late.
“The scale and gravity of these attacks mark a worrying escalation of violence. I should state clearly that violence is not the solution to the challenges facing Tombura County or any other part of South Sudan,” Makana said.
“I strongly condemn these attacks and the people behind these killings and sponsors of this violence,” the former Speaker added. “I urge the security forces at both State and National levels to quickly intervene to ensure innocent civilians are protected.”
Makana said the security situation in the country was bleak as evident from the killings of prominent residents of the County such as Charles Babiro, a former commissioner of the county.
“The situation is very bad and it does not seem to get better. The national government should urgently intervene to save the lives of people in Tombura,” Makana said.
“People are being killed, prominent people. The former Commissioner of the County was also killed in this crisis,” Makana said. “Humanitarian actors should also step up to provide assistance to those displaced without shelter and food”.
